Gatlin Askins punctuated a March, undefeated win on the Viking Cues' Q City 9-Ball Tour by shutting out his opponent, Ron Frank, in the finals of that event. On Saturday, September 10, Askins went undefeated again, though he allowed his opponent, Chris Baumann, three racks in the final. The event drew 34 entrants to the Corner Pocket in Fayetteville, NC.

 

Askins and J.C. Autry advanced to the hot seat match, once Askins had downed Brian Pate 8-1 in one winners' side semifinal, and Autry sent Daniel Adams west, double hill, in the other. Askins chalked up another 8-1 victory to claim the hot seat over Autry.

 

After a defeat at the hands of Adams in a winners' side quarterfinal, Baumann embarked on a five-match, loss-side streak that would give him a shot at Askins in the finals. He got by J.R. Post, double hill, and Earl Davis 6-3 to pick up Pate. Adams drew Matt Oxindine, who'd gotten by Chad Weachter, double hill, and Harold Locklear 6-4.

 

Baumann and Oxindine handed Pate and Adams their second straight loss; Baumann downing Pate 6-2, as Oxindine just did get by Adams, double hill (6-6, with Adams racing to 7). Baumann ended Oxindine's streak in the quarterfinals 6-3.

 

Baumann then eliminated Autry 6-2 in the semifinals to get his shot at Askins. Askins, though, ended Baumann's streak with an 8-3 win in the only set necessary in the finals.

 

Tour director Herman Parker thanked the ownership and staff at Corner Pocket, as well as title sponsor Viking Cues, Delta-13 racks, and Ruthless Billiards Apparel. The next stop on the Viking Cues' Q City 9-Ball Tour, a $250-added event, scheduled for September 17-18, will be hosted by Mickey Milligan's in New Bern, NC.

Matt Collins had gotten as close as third in his attempts to win a stop on the Great Southern Billiard Tour. Returning to the site of that third-place, April 2014 finish, Shore Thing Billiards in Myrtle Beach, SC, Collins took a short, loss-side route to the winners' circle; losing the hot seat match, and returning from the semifinals to double dip hot seat occupant, Wendell Thompkins, a veteran GSBT competitor with a few victory notches on his GSBT belt. The $600-added event drew 27 entrants to Shore Thing Billiards on the weekend of September 5-6.

 

Collins earned his spot in the hot seat match with a 6-4 win over Scott Crane. Thompkins had defeated B.J. Hucks 8-4 to join him. Thompkins claimed the hot seat 8-4, and waited on Collins' fateful return.

 

On the loss side, Hucks drew David Tootle, who'd defeated Phillip Britt 6-6 (Britt, racing to 9) and Tony DeGuzman 6-2, to reach him. Crane picked up Gatlin Askins, who'd eliminated Zach Baker 8-2 and Melody Duval 8-1. With Askins racing to 8, Crane defeated him 5-7, as Tootle downed Hucks 6-4.

 

Crane then came out on the right side of a double hill quarterfinal against Tootle. He came out on the wrong side of subsequent double hill semifinal versus Collins, who got a second shot at Thompkins in the hot seat. Collins locked up in his second straight double hill match and won it to force a second set. They came within a game of another double hill match, but with Thompkins racing to 8, Collins completed his first GSBT victory with a 6-6 win in the second set.

 

The next stop on the GSBT, a $1,000-added event (with 40 or more entrants; $1,500 with 60 or more), scheduled for the weekend of September 19-20, will be hosted by Michael's Billiards, in Fairfield, OH. Sign-ups and practice are scheduled for noon on Saturday, with match play commencing at 2 p.m.

 

It was the first time either one of them had matched up in Great Southern Billiard Tour final.

On the weekend of August 1-2, Will Hammer and Jonathan Ailsock battled twice to see which of them would take home his first GSBT title. With a difference of $200 between first and second place, you'd have to think money rode in the back seat, while the lure of a first tournament title did the driving. 

Hammer took the title, though not before Ailsock brought him right to the brink of a potential second set in the finals. The $750-added event, which drew 34 entrants, was the 1st annual Michael Slaughter Memorial, hosted by Shore Thing Billiards in Myrtle Beach, SC and held in memory of Danville, VA's Michael Slaughter, who'd made Myrtle Beach his home for the last several years. Slaughter passed away on Tuesday, January 28.

 

Hammer and Ailsock met first in a winners' side semifinal, while Clayton Peterson and Dave Matthews faced off in the other one. Hammer took the first of his two against Ailsock 4-2, while Peterson sent Matthews to the loss side 3-2. Hammer claimed the hot seat 4-2 and waited for Ailsock to finish the three matches he had to win for a second chance.

 

Ailstock's first opponent on the loss side was Dan Woods, who'd defeated Beau Miller 3-2, and Howard Summer, double hill. Matthews picked up Michael Hayden, who'd defeated Beau Miller's father, Wayne, 5-2, and survived a double hill fight against Gatlin Askins. 

 

Ailstock would win his next three games by an aggregate score of 12-2. He shut Dan Woods out, while Hayden was busy eliminating Matthews 5-2.  He gave up a single rack each to Michael Hayden in the quarterfinals, and Clayton Peterson in the semifinals.

 

To no one's surprise, it came down to a case game in a straight-up race to four. Hammer dropped the 9-ball and took home the 1st Annual Michael Slaughter Memorial title.

 

The next stop on the GSBT, scheduled for August 22-23, is a $1000-added event, hosted by a new room, the Metro Sports Bar, in Atlanta, GA.

Ray McGinn has been on and off the Great Southern Billiard Tour, dating as far back as 2009, when he finished second behind Larry Faulk at a tour stop in Jacksonville, NC. On the weekend of April 4-5, he broke through to chalk up his first victory on the tour, and once again, had to face a 'Faulk' in the finals; this time Guy Faulk, who won three on the loss side to challenge him. The $700-added event drew 31 entrants to Shore Thing Billiards in Myrtle Beach, SC.

 

McGinn advanced to a winners' side semifinal against Mike Haas, as Faulk faced Micky Hucks.  McGinn got into the hot seat match 5-3 over Haas and faced Hucks, who'd sent Faulk to the loss side 6-1. McGinn grabbed the hot seat in a double hill fight and waited on Faulk's return.

 

On the loss side, Faulk ran into Gatlin Askins, who'd defeated B.J. Hucks 9-5 and Jamie Ford 9-3. Haas drew Matt Bulfin, who'd gotten by Bo Miller 9-2 and eliminated Phillip Britt 9-4 (Britt, by the way, was present, when McGinn fell to Larry Faulk in the GSBT final, five years ago. Britt, in fact, had been sent to the loss side by McGinn in a winners' side semifinal). 

 

Player handicaps came into play in the battles for advancement to the quarterfinals, with both lower handicaps (Haas and Faulk) moving on. With Bulfin and Askins racing to 9 games, Haas defeated Bulfin 4-7, while Faulk downed Askins 3-5. Faulk took it two steps further, downing Haas in those quarterfinals 3-3 and then, Hucks, in the semifinals 3-4.

 

McGinn put a stop to Faulk's run, although not before Faulk's handicap had forced a deciding seventh game. McGinn took the only set necessary 5-2 to claim his first GSBT title.

In winning his third overall Great Southern Billiard Tour title on the weekend of July 12-13, B.J. Hucks had to contend with a very determined Paul Bailey, who lost his opening match and embarked on a nine-match, loss-side winning streak that put him into the finals, late on Saturday night. Hucks prevailed to go undefeated in the $1,000-added event which drew 38 entrants to Shore Thing Billiards in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

 

Before Hucks could contend with Bailey, at work on his loss-side streak of victories, Hucks advanced to a winners' semifinal against Guy Faulk; a formidable challenge, with Hucks needing to reach nine games before Faulk won three. Josh Richard and Bruce Luttrell squared off in the other. Hucks downed Faulk double hill, 9-2, as Richard sent Luttrell to the losers' bracket 5-3. Hucks got into the hot seat with a 9-2 win over Richard and waited for Bailey to complete his loss-side run.

 

With four down and five to go, Bailey defeated Gatlin Askins 6-3 and Dennis Rose 6-2, to pick Luttrell. Faulk drew Cliff Cribb, who'd gotten by Hank Warner 7-3 and Keith Crawford 7-2. Bailey eliminated Luttrell 6-5, and in the quarterfinals, met up with Faulk, who'd defeated Cribb 3-5. Again, Faulk's handicap brought his opponent, in this case, Bailey, to the brink. Bailey prevailed 6-2 and moved right into another double hill fight; this time, against Richard in the semifinals. 

 

Bailey won his second straight double hill battle, and completed his nine-win, loss-side streak for a crack at Hucks in the hot seat. Hucks ended the streak with a 9-3 victory in the finals.

 

BJ Hucks and Trent Talbert went head-to-head twice; once, in the battle for the hot seat and again, in the finals of the June 1-2 stop on the Great Southern Billiard Tour. Hucks won them both to capture the $1,000-added event that had drawn 30 entrants to Shore Thing Bar & Billiards in Myrtle Beach, SC.

 

Their first meeting came after Hucks had sent Scott Langston to the loss side 9-5 and Talbert had downed Wendell Thompkins 7-4. Hucks took the hot seat 9-5 and waited for Talbert to get back from the semifinals.

 

Over on the loss side, Thompkins picked up Sidney Champion, who'd defeated Kelvin Acres 9-3 and Gatlin Askins 9-6 to reach him. Langston picked up Phillip Britt, with two GSBT wins at Shore Thing Billiards to his credit (Oct. & Dec. '12) already, who'd defeated Mickey Hucks 9-6 and shut out JR Faircloth. The loss-side combatants advanced; Champion surviving a double hill fight over Thompkins and Britt ending Langston's day 9-4.

 

Champion took the quarterfinal match 9-6 over Britt but fell to Talbert in the semifinals 7-6. In their second matchup, Hucks held Talbert to three racks on his way to claiming the event title.

 

Shannon and Marge Daulton thanked the ownership and staff at Shore Thing Billiards, as well as sponsors Nick Varner Cues & Cases, Delta 13 Racks, Andy Gilbert Custom Cues, Tiger Products, and Lomax Custom Cues. The next stop on the GSBT, a $2,500-added, amateur 9-ball event, is scheduled for June 22-23 at Player's Place in Charleston, SC.   

It was a good weekend to spend indoors in the lowcountry of South Carolina on the weekend of July 7-8. With outdoor temperatures into triple digits, 52 pool players opted for the air-conditioned comfort of Myrtle Beach’s Shore Thing Bar & Billiards at a $1,500-added event on the Great Southern Billiard Tour. Kept out of the GSBT winners’ circle at the same location in June by Mike Slaughter, Josh Roberts chalked up an undefeated weekend, completing it with a victory over Phillip Britt, who’d won five on the loss side to face him.

From among the winners’ side final four, Roberts faced Larry Jackson, while Jared McGee, who’d just sent Britt west, squared off against Shawn Padgett. Roberts sent Jackson to the loss side 11-6, while Padgett, a B player, sent McGee (AA) over 7-10. Roberts, who’d been denied the hot seat by Slaughter in June, got there this time, with an 11-4 victory over Padgett.

It was Jackson who moved west and had the misfortune of facing the streaking Britt, who’d gotten by Ben Fisher 9-4 and Gatlin Askins 7-2 to reach him. McGee met Wendell Thompkins, who’d defeated Larry Faulk 9-1 and Donnie Stewart 9-4. Britt won his third straight, defeating Jackson 9-7 and in the quarterfinals, faced Thompkins, who’d eliminated McGee 9-4.

In a straight-up, A-race to 9, Britt ended Thompkins’ weekend 9-6. He completed his loss-side trek back to the finals with a 9-4 victory over Padgett in the semifinals.

Roberts, though, was not to be denied. He took the opening set of the true double elimination final 11-4 to capture the event title.

Tour directors Shannon and Marge Daulton thanked Shore Thing Bar & Billiards owners, Brent and Anne Hudgins, as well as their staff, and sponsors Andy Gilbert Custom Cues, Nick Varner Cues and Cases, Mike Davis Exterminating, Tiger Products and Delta-13 racks.